Royal College of Psychiatrists’ President comments on mental health strategy launch

Embargoed until 07 December 2009

Professor Dinesh Bhugra, President of the
Royal College of Psychiatrists, said:

“The College welcomes the
New Horizons strategy as an important step towards improving
the quality and provision of mental health services.

“We are particularly pleased to see the focus
on early intervention in schizophrenia and psychosis, better
transition services for young people, public mental health, and a
reduction in out-of-area treatments. We also welcome proposals for
a cross-departmental approach to services for people with
personality disorder.

“The challenge now is to translate this broad
agenda into concrete actions that will, in a consistent way, make a
real difference to people’s lives. For the last 18 months, the
College has been working towards equality for people with mental
health problems through its Fair Deal campaign. We are now
committed to playing our part in the effective delivery of the New
Horizons agenda, particularly in relation to enhancing the skills
of the mental health workforce.

“We look forward to starting the new decade
with this renewed commitment from the government to further improve
mental health services and promote mental well-being across all
ages and communities.”

References:

New Horizons: a shared vision for mental health was published on 7 December 2009.

Note to editors:

New Horizons is a cross-government programme of action with the twin aims to improve the mental health and well-being of the population, and to improve the quality and accessibility of services for people with poor mental health.